2021/10/07 by Valerie van Mulukom, Armin W. Geertz, Robert W. Clark +1 · 1 voice
Psychology · Neuroscience · #Cultural Differences and Values #Aesthetic Perception and Analysis #Psychedelics and Drug Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.31234/osf.io/7y6w8
openalex publication_date 2021/10/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14
In this chapter, we explore parallels between art and religion through culture and symbolic systems, drawing from past sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers, and current cognitive research. We argue that the creation of the arts and religion – as particularly important human cultural phenomena – allowed for subjective knowledge to become represented in symbols and artefacts, the latter serving as material anchors. This rendered the subjective knowledge concrete, memorable and importantly, shareable. Thus, art and religion are considered symbolic systems which express subjective understanding. These systems serve as repositories of meaning, encapsulating emotions, experiences, and beliefs in efficiently memorable forms. The self-transcendent nature of art and religious experiences enhances symbol significance, effectively conveying rich meanings that surpass descriptive language. Our ideas align with aesthetic cognitivism’s assertion that art offers unique cognitive contributions beyond decoration. The strength of art and possibly religion lies in their existence within imagination. The profound impact of symbolic systems on human experience and interaction - preserving and disseminating subjective knowledge beyond language's confines - underscores the centrality of meaning-making in shaping societies.